Northanger Abbey MCQs

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Author: Nasir Iqbal | Assistant Professor of English Literature

Northanger Abbey MCQs
Updated on: October 27, 2025
Estimated Reading Time: 17 min

Northanger Abbey MCQs

1. What is Catherine Morland’s father’s profession?

A. Doctor
B. Lawyer
C. Clergyman
D. Soldier

C. Clergyman.
Her father was a clergyman who had a considerable independence besides two good livings.

2. How many children did Mrs. Morland have in total?

A. Seven
B. Six
C. Ten
D. Three

C. Ten.
Mrs. Morland lived to have ten children, making them a consistently “fine family”.

3. What activity did Catherine prefer to dolls and other “heroic enjoyments” at age ten?

A. Drawing
B. Cricket
C. Reading
D. Music

B. Cricket.
Catherine preferred playing cricket and other boys’ plays to the usual heroic enjoyments of infancy.

4. Between fifteen and seventeen, what activity put Catherine into “training for a heroine”?

A. Learning French
B. Reading novels
C. Practicing music
D. Horse riding

B. Reading novels.
From fifteen to seventeen, she read works heroines must read to supply useful quotations.
5. Who invited Catherine to accompany them to Bath?

A. Mrs. Morland
B. Mr. Tilney
C. Mr. and Mrs. Allen
D. Her sister Sally

C. Mr. and Mrs. Allen.
Mr. Allen, who owned property nearby, was ordered to Bath for his gout, and invited Catherine.

6. What subject was Mrs. Allen most intensely focused on and passionate about?

A. Books
B. Dress
C. Card games
D. Family history

B. Dress.
Dress was Mrs. Allen’s passion, and she felt a harmless delight in always being fine.

7. Why was Catherine unable to dance at her very first ball in the Upper Rooms?

A. She disliked the music
B. She had no partner
C. Her dress was torn
D. She was too tired

B. She had no partner.
Catherine longed to dance at the ball, but Mrs. Allen lamented repeatedly that she had no acquaintance.

8. What is Henry Tilney’s profession, as confirmed by Mr. Allen’s inquiry?

A. Lawyer
B. Soldier
C. Clergyman
D. Banker

C. Clergyman.
Mr. Allen inquired and was assured that Catherine’s partner, Mr. Tilney, was a clergyman.

9. Henry Tilney teased Catherine about meticulously recording her life in Bath in what format?

A. Letters to Sally
B. A public diary
C. A journal
D. Secret confessions

C. A journal.
Henry joked Catherine must keep a journal recording civilities, dresses, complexion, and partner remarks.
10. What main flaw did Henry Tilney initially find in the usual style of ladies’ letter-writing?

A. Lack of wit
B. Deficiency of subject
C. Too emotional
D. Excessive politeness

B. Deficiency of subject.
Henry claimed that women’s letter-writing was faultless except for poor grammar, stops, and subject deficiency.

11. Mrs. Thorpe recognized Mrs. Allen as whom from her past?

A. A relative
B. A schoolfellow
C. A childhood neighbour
D. A London friend

B. A schoolfellow.
Mrs. Thorpe recognized Mrs. Allen as a former schoolfellow and intimate, whom she had not seen for years.

12. Isabella bonded with Catherine by discussing her relationship with which family member?

A. Mr. Tilney
B. Mr. Allen
C. James Morland
D. Mr. Thorpe

C. James Morland.
Mrs. Thorpe and her daughters discussed their acquaintance with Catherine’s eldest brother, Mr. James Morland.

13. What type of vehicle did John Thorpe brag about purchasing cheaply and driving fast?

A. A Phaeton
B. A Post-chaise
C. A Curricle
D. A Gig

D. A Gig.
John Thorpe showed off his neat gig, which he claimed was bought cheaply and built for speed.

14. Which novel did John Thorpe dismiss as “unnatural stuff” and “horrid nonsense”?

A. The Monk
B. Udolpho
C. Cecilia or Camilla
D. Tom Jones

C. Cecilia or Camilla.
Thorpe dismisses the book by the woman who married an emigrant (Camilla) as horrid nonsense.
15. What Gothic novel was Catherine reading intensely, delighted by the “black veil” mystery?

A. The Italian
B. The Monk
C. Northanger Abbey
D. Udolpho

D. Udolpho.
Catherine declared her delight in reading Udolpho and was desperate to know what was behind the black veil.

16. Whom did Catherine initially feel obliged to dance with at the second major ball?

A. Henry Tilney
B. James Morland
C. John Thorpe
D. Mr. Allen

C. John Thorpe.
Catherine had gone previously engaged to John Thorpe and felt disgraced when he did not appear.

17. Who was the handsome, commanding gentleman watching Catherine who was Henry Tilney’s father?

A. Mr. Allen
B. General Tilney
C. Captain Tilney
D. Mr. Morland

B. General Tilney.
Henry pointed out the handsome, commanding gentleman watching Catherine as General Tilney, his father.

18. What common social event did Henry Tilney compare to the duties and expectations of marriage?

A. A country walk
B. Keeping a journal
C. A country-dance
D. Shopping in Bath

C. A country-dance.
Henry compared the requirements and duties of marriage to those needed in a country-dance.

19. Which engagement did Catherine break to go on an unauthorized drive with the Thorpes to Clifton?

A. Dancing with Henry
B. Visiting the Pump-room
C. Walking with Miss Tilney
D. Dining with the Allens

C. Walking with Miss Tilney.
Catherine broke her promise to Miss Tilney to take a country walk in order to go to Clifton.
20. How did John Thorpe convince Catherine that the Tilneys were unable to keep their walking engagement?

A. He said they were ill
B. He invented a trip to Wick Rocks
C. He claimed he saw them leave Bath
D. He showed her a letter

B. He invented a trip to Wick Rocks.
Thorpe falsely claimed he heard Henry hallooing that they were going far away, to Wick Rocks.

21. Where did the Thorpes and James Morland attempt to drive, only to turn back due to lateness?

A. Bristol
B. Salisbury
C. Fullerton
D. Northanger

A. Bristol.
The planned excursion was a drive to Bristol to dine at Clifton, which they aborted near Keynsham.

22. After their aborted journey, what did Catherine conclude about John Thorpe’s character?

A. He was agreeable
B. He was too quiet
C. He was very funny
D. He was disagreeable

D. He was disagreeable.
Returning to Pulteney-street after the drive, she concluded that John Thorpe himself was quite disagreeable.

23. What moral impropriety did Mr. Allen worry about regarding young people’s outings?

A. Gambling
B. Talking too loudly
C. Driving young ladies in open carriages
D. Staying out too late

C. Driving young ladies in open carriages.
Mr. Allen thought young mén and women driving alone in open carriages to inns had an odd appearance.

24. What object did Miss Tilney say was hanging in her bedroom, which the General had initially disliked?

A. A landscape
B. A picture of Henry
C. Her mother’s portrait
D. A famous painting

C. Her mother’s portrait.
Eleanor offered to show Catherine her mother’s portrait, which the General had been dissatisfied with.
25. What dark fate did Catherine suspect had befallen Mrs. Tilney, based on the General’s strange conduct?

A. That he poisoned her
B. That he imprisoned her
C. That he neglected her
D. That he was indifferent to her

B. That he imprisoned her.
Catherine suspected Mrs. Tilney might be shut up for causes unknown, receiving a nightly supply of food.

26. What religious structure did Catherine hope Northanger Abbey had previously been?

A. A fortress
B. A royal palace
C. A rich university
D. A richly endowed convent

D. A richly endowed convent.
Catherine’s excitement grew because Northanger had been a richly endowed convent before the Reformation.

27. What detail disappointed Catherine about the Abbey’s windows, despite their Gothic form?

A. The pointed arch
B. The size of the glass panes
C. The lack of curtains
D. The heavy stone-work

B. The size of the glass panes.
Catherine was distressed because the windows, though Gothic, had large, clear, light glass panes.

28. What did Catherine find inside the large, suspiciously placed cedar chest in her bedroom?

A. A dagger
B. A skeleton
C. A cotton counterpane
D. Diamonds

C. A cotton counterpane.
After much terror and effort, Catherine opened the mysterious chest to find a folded white cotton counterpane.

29. Henry Tilney told Catherine she would find what document in the ebony cabinet after the storm?

A. Ancient maps
B. Matilda’s memoirs
C. Monetary deeds
D. Old sermons

B. Matilda’s memoirs.
Henry joked that she would find a roll of paper containing the memoirs of the wretched Matilda.
30. What documents did Catherine actually discover inside the central cavity of the black cabinet?

A. Nothing
B. A farrier’s bill
C. A love letter
D. A secret spring

B. A farrier’s bill.
The roll of paper contained an inventory of linen and a farrier’s bill “To poultice chestnut mare”.

31. Henry explained that his mother died of a bilious fever and received every possible attention from whom?

A. Her doctor only
B. Frederick and himself
C. Mrs. Allen
D. General Tilney

B. Frederick and himself.
Henry and Frederick witnessed her receiving every possible attention, as they were both at home during her illness.

32. What core lesson did Henry give Catherine when he rebuked her for suspecting his father of murder?

A. Remember the laws of England
B. Do not read novels
C. Always trust fathers
D. Respect the clergy

A. Remember the laws of England.
Henry asked Catherine to remember they were English Christians, where laws and society prevent such atrocities.

33. After her folly was exposed, Catherine resolved that in the future she would always act with what quality?

A. Extreme caution
B. Good sense
C. Total silence
D. Great skepticism

B. Good sense.
Her resolution formed, Catherine decided to always judge and act in the future with the greatest good sense.

34. Why was Henry Tilney unable to be Eleanor’s constant companion at Northanger?

A. He disliked the Abbey
B. He had an establishment at Woodston
C. He was needed in London
D. He hated solitude

B. He had an establishment at Woodston.
Henry explained that Northanger was only half his home, as he had an establishment at Woodston.
35. What did Henry Tilney realize he must go to Woodston early to do, despite his father’s minimizing statements?

A. To attend a meeting
B. To check on his curate
C. To prepare a proper dinner
D. To fix the house

C. To prepare a proper dinner.
Henry insisted he had to go to Woodston to prepare a dinner for them, despite his father’s claims.

36. What detail about Woodston Parsonage did Catherine praise, which General Tilney then agreed to preserve?

A. The view of Bath
B. The apple trees and cottage
C. The large drawing-room
D. The neat stone structure

B. The apple trees and cottage.
Catherine admired the “sweet little cottage” among the apple trees, leading the General to agree to spare it.

37. Who was the “gentleman” Isabella mentioned in her letter to Catherine, whom she abhorred?

A. Henry Tilney
B. James Morland
C. John Thorpe
D. Captain Tilney

D. Captain Tilney.
Isabella wrote to Catherine saying she abhorred Captain Tilney, who had left Bath after being her shadow.

38. What did Henry suggest was Isabella’s true motivation in pursuing Captain Tilney?

A. Affection
B. Ambition
C. Friendship
D. Maternal duty

B. Ambition.
Henry suggested Isabella might be constant, unless a baronet came along, pointing towards ambition.

39. What important news did James Morland convey in his letter to Catherine from Oxford?

A. He was marrying Isabella
B. He was promoted
C. His engagement with Isabella was ended
D. He was ill

C. His engagement with Isabella was ended.
James wrote to Catherine to tell her that everything was at an end between him and Miss Thorpe.
40. What permission did Henry have from his father when he proposed to Catherine at Fullerton?

A. He had full consent
B. He was ordered to propose
C. He had no permission
D. He had reluctant permission

C. He had no permission.
Henry offered his hand after his father had returned to the Abbey and ordered him to think of her no more.

41. What was Catherine’s actual, involuntary “offence” that caused General Tilney’s sudden rage and dismissal?

A. She had no fortune
B. She talked too much
C. She ruined his china
D. She slandered his wife

A. She had no fortune.
General Tilney turned her out because she was the involuntary object of a deception; she was less rich.

42. Who provided General Tilney with the initial inflated and false account of Catherine’s great wealth?

A. Mrs. Allen
B. James Morland
C. Eleanor Tilney
D. John Thorpe

D. John Thorpe.
John Thorpe, attempting to boast his own consequence, misrepresented Catherine’s family as extremely wealthy.

43. Thorpe claimed Catherine was the “almost acknowledged future heiress” of whom?

A. General Tilney’s estate
B. Her father’s property
C. Mr. Allen’s estate
D. Her mother’s family

C. Mr. Allen’s estate.
Thorpe used the fact that the Allens were wealthy and childless to suggest Catherine was their acknowledged heiress.

44. Why did John Thorpe retract his positive report about the Morlands to General Tilney?

A. Catherine’s rejection
B. James’s engagement
C. His own marriage
D. Henry’s anger

A. Catherine’s rejection.
Thorpe, irritated by Catherine’s refusal and the Morland/Thorpe engagement failure, contradicted his boasts.
45. Why did General Tilney forbid Henry from accompanying him to Hereford-shire?

A. To punish Henry for his attachment
B. To promote the dismissal of Catherine
C. To make Henry work at Woodston
D. To prevent them from arguing

B. To promote the dismissal of Catherine.
The engagement to Hereford-shire was formed almost at the moment to promote Catherine’s dismissal.

46. What was the only obstacle the Morland parents stipulated must be removed before approving the marriage?

A. Catherine’s age
B. Henry’s profession
C. General Tilney’s consent
D. Their own poverty

C. General Tilney’s consent.
The parents required the decent appearance of consent from Henry’s father before they could approve.

47. Despite the General’s objections, why did the Morland parents accept Henry’s proposal of marriage?

A. His pleasing manners
B. His military status
C. His existing wealth
D. His love for Catherine

A. His pleasing manners.
His pleasing manners and good sense were self-evident recommendations, so his character needed no attestation.

48. What concern did Mrs. Morland have about Catherine as a future wife?

A. She was too proud
B. She was too sickly
C. She would be a heedless housekeeper
D. She lacked manners

C. She would be a heedless housekeeper.
Mrs. Morland feared Catherine would make a sad, heedless young housekeeper, but trusted practice would help.

49. What major event caused General Tilney’s sudden fit of good humor, leading him to forgive Henry?

A. His daughter Eleanor’s marriage
B. Henry gaining a large inheritance
C. His own recovery from gout
D. John Thorpe’s apology

A. His daughter Eleanor’s marriage.
Eleanor’s marriage to a man of fortune threw the General into a fit of good humor.
50. Who did Eleanor Tilney marry, who was coincidentally linked to Catherine’s cabinet adventure?

A. Mr. Allen
B. The handsome Captain
C. The man who left the washing bills
D. A baronet

C. The man who left the washing bills.
Eleanor married the gentleman whose negligent servant left behind the washing-bills at Northanger Abbey.

Brief Overview

Northanger Abbey is a novel by Jane Austen, published posthumously in 1817. It is a gothic parody about a naive heroine’s path to self-knowledge.

Catherine Morland is an ordinary young girl. She visits the city of Bath with her wealthy friends, Mr. and Mrs. Allen. There, Catherine meets the clever Henry Tilney and the superficial Thorpe siblings, Isabella and John.

Catherine’s brother, James, becomes engaged to the flirtatious Isabella. Catherine is later invited to stay at Northanger Abbey, Henry’s home.

Because Catherine loves scary novels, she imagines the abbey holds terrible secrets and suspects the General of murder. Henry gently shows her these fears are based on foolish book ideas.

The General had invited Catherine only because John Thorpe lied about her having much money. Upon learning she is poor, the General becomes furious and rudely sends Catherine home alone.

Henry follows her to Fullerton and proposes marriage, ignoring his father’s anger. After Henry’s sister, Eleanor, makes a rich marriage, the General finally allows Henry and Catherine to marry happily.

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